Lexi's POV
She hadn't meant to linger. But when Emily slipped away from the party, and Ethan followed just a few minutes later, something cold and sharp began to stir in Lexi's chest.
A feeling she wasn't used to. One she didn't like.
Insecurity.
She stood in the shadows of the grand corridor, half-shielded by a marble pillar, watching them through the balcony doors. Their silhouettes were framed by the glow of city lights, too close. Too still. Too familiar.
She couldn't hear their words. But she didn't need to.
The tension between them was palpable, like an invisible current dancing in the space they shared.
Ethan leaned closer.
Lexi's hand curled into a fist.
She was his wife.
His future.
His child's mother.
So why did it feel like she was the outsider in her own marriage?
Lexi's POV (continued)
Lexi drew in a slow breath, adjusting the silver cuff on her wrist. She stepped back, heels clicking softly on the marble as she retreated into the hall.
She didn't need to see more. She'd seen enough.
For weeks now, she'd noticed it: the flicker in Ethan's eyes when Emily's name was mentioned, the hesitation in his voice when he spoke of her, the way his body tensed when Emily entered the room—like he was bracing against a storm he secretly longed to be swept away in.
Lexi had believed she could manage it. That time and the baby growing inside her would be enough.
But tonight shifted something.
Emily wasn't just a ghost of his past. She was a threat to Lexi's present. To everything she had fought so hard to claim.
And Lexi wasn't going to lose.
Lexi's Flashback – One Month Ago
Ethan hadn't touched her.
Not really.
Their arrangement had always been clear. A marriage for business, unity between powerful families, a future sealed in contracts and polite smiles.
But Lexi had wanted more.
She had tried. Soft words, perfect dinners, subtle perfume. He had remained distant, haunted.
Then came Emily.
And Lexi had made a choice.
One drugged glass of wine. One carefully timed night. One consequence she knew Ethan wouldn't walk away from: a child.
She hadn't done it out of cruelty.
She did it because she was tired of being chosen second. Because she knew what women like Emily did to men like Ethan.
And because she believed—still believed—that he could love her, eventually.
If she just got Emily out of the picture.
Lexi's POV (present)
She entered their suite slowly, her heels now silent on the thick carpet. The lights were dimmed, the scent of roses still lingering from the morning's delivery.
Lexi stood before the vanity mirror and looked at herself—flawless makeup, sleek hair, diamond earrings.
Perfect.
But it didn't feel like enough.
Her reflection stared back, calm and composed, but she knew the truth beneath it. Her hands trembled slightly as she placed them over her stomach. Her baby. Her bond to him.
"I won't let her take you from me," she whispered.
The plan needed adjusting. Emily was more dangerous than she thought.
Lexi no longer had the luxury of subtle moves or quiet jealousy.
She had to act.
Carefully. Strategically.
Emotion was the enemy now.
Lexi's POV (later that night)
Ethan returned close to midnight.
Lexi was waiting, stretched across their bed in a soft robe, a book resting in her lap.
He looked surprised to find her awake.
"You're up," he said.
She smiled, warm and practiced. "I couldn't sleep. The baby's been restless."
He looked at her stomach briefly—just long enough to be polite. "Do you need anything?"
Just you, she thought. The real you.
But Lexi shook her head. "No. Just you here is enough."
He nodded, walked into the bathroom without another word.
She watched the door close behind him.
Her control was slipping.
But not for long.
Lexi's Journal Entry (Private)
He still loves her. I saw it in his eyes tonight.
But she doesn't know him like I do now. She doesn't know how much he hates conflict, how much he'll avoid hurting anyone. He'll stay for the baby. For the company. For the reputation.
He's honorable. And honor can be manipulated.
I just need to be patient. Sweet. The loving wife.
And if Emily doesn't take the hint...
I'll make sure she gets it.